the traffic woes in his wake. >>> in election 2012 news, mitt romney faces an uphill battle in the polls but there is wide agreement that he's going to do well on wednesday night's debate in denver. romney is concentrating on mock debates and drills. he flies to colorado tomorrow. republicans and democrats agree that romney is ready to go up against president obama. >> he's been through at least 20 debates in the course of the poi mare and newt gingrich himself -- at least 20 debates in the course of the -- >> he goes to the suburb of henderson to prep for the debate. and he will arrive in denver on wednesday. >>> the candidates agreed to four debates in all and they're coming up quickly. you can see there's a debate almost every week. the first is on the third, there's another on the 15th and 22. let's take a look at the first debate that is going on in denver. that will be at the university of denver in colorado. domestic policy is the topic of this event. and let's look at the only vice presidential debate. there's a meeting in hofstra university in new york. that will be from u

some of the statements made in that debate. >> reporter: dave, mitt romney stood out last night for being aggressive, constantly calling out president obama, keeping him on the defensive side. mitt romney also didn't back down when the two butted hads over tax plans. the president says romney's plans will raise taxes or increase the deficit. >> governor romney's central economic plan calls for a 5 trillion dollar tax cut on top of the extension of bush tax cuts another trillion dollars and 2 trillion in military spending they have not asked for. >> first of all i don't have a 5 trillion dollar tax cut or a tax cut of the scale you are talking about. >> romney says he will offset cuts by closing loopholes and reducing reductions but vague on which ones. they will face off again later in new york and florida. both candidates are back on the campaign trail today. mitt romney in virginia while the president has campaign stops in colorado and wisconsin. jacqueline feld, ktvu channel 2 news. >> the corporation kitchen aid is apologizing for a tweet sent from their account during the debat

completely to romney last night. governor rendell, you have been in a lot of tough debates. i don't know what you thought. i guess i'm known as an obama supporter and i certainly wanted him to do well last night, and yet i don't get it. i don't quite get it. i thought romney's performance, let's call it that, was masterful. i don't know what the president was up to last night. your thoughts. >> well, i agree with andrew sullivan. i think he's right on in all his points and i agree with you. romney did -- governor romney was terrific last night. he did all the things he had to do to get back in this race, and i am also mystified at the president's strategy. you know, chris, i'm a good sports fan. in fact, i even do sports tv and i write -- >> i know you do. >> and there's a great sports analogy. when you play the perfect defense when you have a lead, when you try to sit on the ball in basketball when you have got a lead, when you play conservative, what often happens is you lose the lead. and i can't for the life of me believe that that's what they did, but that's the only explanation. they to

process matters. which is why last night's debate was so important when mitt romney stood there talking about states' rights. states' rights is what was fought against to get the voting rights in '65 where alabama wanted the right to determine who would vote and how. we need a strong national government to support strong american people. thanks for watching. i'm al sharpton. "hardball" starts right now. >>> the day after. let's play "hardball." ♪ >>> good evening. i'm chris matthews back in washington. let me start tonight with two big questions, "hardball" questions if you will. one, why? why did what happened last night happen? why did a president who has proven himself as a policy expert and world class politician let the other guy take charge? because if he can't answer that question, he may be doomed to defeat in the remaining two debates. second big question, can a victory over the facts of last night's debate, what was true and what was not, turn the tables now? can barack obama win by getting out the word he didn't get out last night? and both are big questions tonight

. and it's interesting night, and governor romney clearly had a good night by all accounts. even the obama folks and we'll see where it goes from here. >> and you'll be able to tell by who breaks a sweat behind you. >> that is right. and that is it for us here live in denver. and first, it's just the first. there are many more still to come. >> vice presidential debate coming up thursday, thanks for watching. >> welcome to hannity. we're live in we'll be joined by rob portman helping to prepare governor romney for the debate will join us tonight. senator marco rubio will be here. one of the things initial thoughts is that you saw the president in a way you've never seen him before. never before hammered this way on a sustained basis. this went on throughout the night. mitt romney energized and was staring at him the whole time, meaning the president. the president would look down, and looking to bail him out in this debate. we've never seen this before in president obama. there is a lot of ground to cover tonight of we'll check in with our focus group. we're live with a lot of voters

romney was terrific last night. he did all the things he had to do to get back in this race, and i am also mystified at the president's strategy. you know, chris, i'm a good sports fan. in fact, i even do sports tv and i write -- >> i know you do. >> and there's a great sports analogy. when you play the perfect defense when you have a lead, when you try to sit on the ball in basketball when you have got a lead, when you play conservative, what often happens is you lose the lead. and i can't for the life of me believe that that's what they did, but that's the only explanation. they told the president, don't be confrontational. they told the president, be above it all, act presidential. but the one thing that gets me when i was running for re-election as mayor and when i was running for re-election as governor and even d.a., i had a passion for what we'd accomplished. i had a passion to explain where we didn't accomplish something, why we didn't, what the roadblocks were, and he could have done that without being aggressive, without being snarky towards governor romney. but he could hav

, paul ryan and mitt romney taking the stage for the first time since last night's debate. that, for most accounts, was a big win for their campaign. was it enough to change the dynamic of the race 33 days before the election? let's go to jim acosta at the rally in fishersville, virginia. trace adkins, i guess, is going to perform there. they're getting ready for a big, big blowout. >> reporter: that's right, erin. they are blowing this day up. you could say this is a #winningday for the romney campaign. trace adkins is on stage. and we saw the evidence of this all day long from the gop nominee, when he got on board his campaign plane earlier this morning. he was already cruising at a higher altitude, erin, chatting up his campaign staff. there was a smile on his face. and, honestly, erin, i've been covering this campaign for a year and a half. this was one of the happiest days that i've seen on the part of this campaign and its staff for some time. but you could tell that things were starting to change during the day, as the president was starting to mount that new offensive, going

that new offensive, going after mitt romney on his statements last night, calling into question whether or not the gop contender was telling the truth during last night's debate and putting out that new ad that said if we can't trust him on the debate stage, how can we trust him in the oval office. erin, it's interesting to note just as we were landing here in virginia, two romney senior advisers came to the back of the plane to start talking to reporters about this new narrative that was emerging from the obama campaign, trying to go after mitt romney and some of the statements. when i asked ed gillespie, a senior romney adviser about that tough new ad from the president, he said it's the president's ads that can't be trusted. erin? >> on facts both of them had some issues last night and both had some hits. i'm curious, jim, with the focus group, dial's at the end, mitt romney surged on those personal attributes where he has struggled, trust, sensitivity. he did very, very well, surged on that. the president didn't plunge but mitt romney surged. will this be enough to really in

hits he took last night from governor romney in the big debate. well tomorrow to "america live." back in new york, folks i'm megyn kelly. a look back now in denver, colorado where a fired up barack obama has just finished this rally. he was going off on governor romney in that campaign appearance, and we heard a very different-sounding barack obama at this rally. it comes after the president's top campaign advisers, hour after hour hit the air waves clearly trying to reframe the presidential's debate performs answer. political observers said he looked irritated, annoyed and was unhappy to be on the stage while mitt romney sounded presidential. thousand they try to make the argument that governor romney only won last night because he lied. here is the president moments ago. >> we also had our first debate last night. when i got onto the stage i met this very spirited fellow who claimed to be mitt romney. [laughter] >> but it couldn't have been mitt romney, because the real mitt romney has been running around the country for the last year promising $5 trillion in tax cuts in pay

. it was a microcosm of how the two men handled the night. mitt romney was passionate and energetic. the president was subdued and dispassionate. you called the president last night. said he had a dig any fighted reserve. >> i think one of the things we look for in our presidents is a consistency. what you have not seen from mitt romney is consistency. you've seen a lot of shape shifting. last night was certainly an elevated performance. among then when he was governor of massachusetts hean had a dismal job creation record but racked up a huge deficit, increased spending. people can criticize one performance or another. i believe over the long term the president is well served by the dignified and reserved position. >> do you feel as if he made his case for a second term? >> i think we have 36 days to continue to make the case. i believe that a very good case has been made up to this point. that our better future is ahead of us. it's not behind us. and whatever the stylistic points, do believe one of the things that was very clear last night is these candidates differ in the approac

. during a fox news appearance thursday night, sean hannity asked romney how he would have responded if obama had brought it up. >> clearly, in a campaign with hundreds, if not thousands of speeches and question and answer sessions, now and then you say something that does not come out right. i said something that was completely wrong in this case. i absolutely believe, however, my life has shown i care about 100%. that has been demonstrated throughout my life. this whole campaign is about the 100%. >> fast-food chain tripoli is reached a deal with the florida- based coalition of immokalee workers to improve wages according conditions for farmworkers who pick tomatoes used in its products. the company previously had refused to sign a contract affirming its commitment to the coalition's fair food program, which 10 other companies, including mcdonald's and burger king, have already joined. thursday's agreement comes a day after a coalition member appeared on "democracy now!" in denver to discuss its efforts to pressure chipotle. dozens of walmart workers at retail stores in southern calif

the last year. >> mitt romney was greeted with thunderous applause this morning. >> last night i thought was a great opportunity for the american people to see two very different visions for the country. >> the morning after, even supporters said the president seemed tentative, defensive, frequently looking down at his notes. perhaps like some of his predecessors in debates. ford, carter, bush and bush. almost too accustomed to the oval office. not used to being challenged. the president did not use some of his potent attack lines. mitt romney's comments to wealthy contributors that 47% don't pay federal income taxes and are dependent on the government or romney's possession on women's health issues. >> romney says he's going to cut loopholes, but won't name they will. romney said i'm going to replace obama care, but won't say with that. >> romney clearly came to play, standing toe to toe with the president. through plenty of fireworks. >> your title is the president of an airplane and house, but not your own facts. >> now, governor romney's proposal that he's been promoting for

governor romney had a good night. interesting to see what the poll numbers do. >> i expect them to, if not, we have a real problem. second thing, we should not forget this, he literally threw his whole tax plan your honor the bus. the -- as a followup. there is another debate, everything tomorrow, there is more shows, more everything, and i think the democrats are really, really going to jump on this. i never proposed any such thing. >> you're expecting team obama to go hard tomorrow. >> i think team obama knows what happened tonight. i don't think -- but i also think that this is the way this campaign works out. what happened tonight will play out clearly through the weekend to the next debate. so we should be a little -- little temperament in terms -- >> what do you think -- >> let us enjoy a good night. >> one of the things i thought was really interesting about the debate, including, of course, the fact that romney won it and everybody knows it, including obama's campaign energies, romney seemed like he understood the issues better than obama did. it was striking to me when romney said

romney won the debate last night and it's absolutely true to say that the stock market will open higher this morning, we're expecting a gain of 40, maybe 50 points, when that opening bell stops ringing and the trading day starts. [bell ringing] would you call that a romney rally? i'm not serious popping this. is it a pure coincidence, i'm not sure, but some people will say this is a romney rally. we will be discussing that later on. and check the big board since the trading day has now begun and the opening trend is indeed to the upside. we're expecting, 40, 50 points in about 2 or 3 minute's time when everything gets rolling along. i'll tell you that gold is close to 1800 this morning. we have hewlett-packard shares, they're now the at the lowest level in nine, count them, nine years, the company warned of declining profits of revenues in the next 12 months. it doesn't sound good. so, nicole, where is that stock opening this morning? >> another new low he again today. i know we've only been trading 34 seconds, but the new low is 1467. this dates back to the early 2003 year for h

romney put it back at him last night. candidates will barely have time to catch their breath. they get back on the campaign trail today. the president will be in colorado and wisconsin. the romney camp moves along to the swing state of virginia. you have got 13 electoral votes up there. bill: we find john roberts in fishersville, virginia. >> we have a concert here in the heart of the shenandoah valley. country music star trace atkins will be joining the governor. chris christie promised a restart of the campaign. it's unanimous the government won that debate. the snap polls after the debate showed that. the governor promised he would aggressively counterattack against any mischaracterizations the president threw his way. an did that all night on the offense. he did offer some level of detail. >> i will eliminate all programs by this test if they don't pass it. is the program so critical it's worth borrowing money from china to pay for it? if not i will get rid of it. obama-care is on my list, i apologies, i use that term with all due respect. >> the big question for the romney campaig

well not even showed up last night. he lost control of the debate and mitt romney ran all over him like a truck crushing a bug. we don't need a moderator for the next debate. we didn't have one last night. we'll talk about it, who won who lost, is it going to change anything. first, let's take a little time out to get the latest, today's current news update as always from lisa ferguson out in los angeles. hi lisa, good morning. >> hey bill, welcome back. it is a good day to be back. good morning everyone. with the first debate under their belts the candidates are back on the campaign trail today. president obama starts out where he left off in denver then he heads to madison wisconsin. joe biden is in iowa and mitt romney is in virginia. but who wants to talk about all of that when what you really want to talk about is the debates. a lot of claims thrown around last night. we're going to do some fact checking for you this morning. but first let's start out with a bit of a recap. of the debate was moderated by mitt romney. oh wait, we mean jim lehrer who i think it is safe to say did wor

president obama and romney are spinning last night's debate. >> the so-called king of clubs headed to prison williams only demand this summer for two as the state's ultimate political insider today sentenced by a federal judge to one year and one day he was convicted for attempting to shake down a hollywood producer he asked a judge for a probation citing failing health we are disappointed that mr. selene did not get a sentence and probation but obviously we except the sentencing that the judge provided a catholic priest from indiana disappears in greece and his family believes that he is in serious danger or maybe even dead, father christian said that he and a translator were trying to escape from a foreign country and they were involved in a heated dispute to the archdiocese says it's aware of the situation and is praying for its safe return. a cnn post a debate last night reflects what the pundits have been saying all along today it was a resounding victory for the republican candidate mitt romney apparently uncommitted registered voters showed 57 percent of them gave romney the wi

in denver last night and what people saw was a highly energized, motivated and combative mitt romney sharing the stage with a subdued and lackluster president obama. what they saw was mitt romney on his way over the course of 90 minutes to scoring a clear and consensus victory in what will be the first of three meetings. for romney, today felt like a new chapter. here's a look at the crowd waiting for him tonight in virginia. while the president today said some things he was expected to say on the stanl last night. we begin our coverage with andrea mitchell. good evening. >> good evening. the president showed up today armed with attack lines against mitt romney a day late. trying to regain his footing after a rocky debate performance, the president today seemed everything he was not last night. >> the man on stage last night, he does not want to be held accountable for the real mitt romn romney's decisions and what he's been saying for the last year. >> mitt romney was greeted with thunderous applause this morning. >> last night, i thought was a great opportunity for the american peo

mitchell reports," a bout last night, president obama and governor romney, what both are saying about their debate performance. >> when i got on to the stage, i met this very spirited fellow who claimed to be mitt romney. but it couldn't have been mitt romney because the real mitt romney has been running around the country for the last year promising $5 trillion in tax cuts that favor the wealthy, the fellow on stage last night said he didn't know anything about that. >> last night i thought was a great opportunity for the american people to see two very din visions for the country. and i think it was helpful to be able to describe those visions. i saw the president's vision as trickle down government and i don't think that's what america believes in. >> overnight polls and "the denver post" give round one to romney. as a republican challenger went after the president's record. >> i just don't know how the president could have come into office, facing 23 million people out of work, rising unemployment, and economic crisis at the kitchen table, and spent his energy and passion fo

for tomorrow night to be on guard against. the romney campaign shows time and time again that they are willing to flat out lie whenever it just suits the evening, when it suits them just fine, they will throw it out there and hope it sticks to the wall. most of the keystones to romney's campaign are based on lies and distortions. let's go through them all. romney says president obama stole billions from medicare. the president cut wasteful spending. romney's camp created an entire ad campaign about president obama revoking the work requirement from welfare. the ads were totally debunked but romney kept airing them any way and stands by them today. good debate talk tomorrow night. mitt romney says he's going to repeal obama care and replace it with something to keep people from being uninsured. but an analysis from the commonwealth fund shows mitt romney would leave 72 million more people uninsured, 12 million higher than before obama care. recently mitt romney said his campaign never ran any intentionally false advertising. we have been ab chutely spot-on, he said. any time there's any

wednesday night in denver. romney had just a rough three weeks. he's had a rough three months. you could argue that romney hasn't, quote, won a month in this campaign since may or june. a trailing campaign has just a handful of opportunities to fundamentally change the trajectory of a race. it's losing. barring an october surprise, the three debates that kick off wednesday night are romney's last chance. the president rallied supporters sunday night kicking off his eighth trip to nevada this year before 00 kwering down for two full days for debate prep at a lakeside resort in suburban las vegas. >> you may have heard that in a few days my opponent in this election and i are going to have a debate. i know folks in the media are speculating already on who's going to have the best zingers. >> you are. >> i don't know about that. >> both campaigns from the candidates on down have been frantically spinning to lower expectations for wednesday night. >> governor romney, he's a good debater. i'm just okay. >> president obama is a very experienced speaker, experienced debater. he's dub this

line last night at the debate, mitt romney starts talking about an accountant, you saw the president's eyebrows raised dur the cutaway shot. here he said i think mitt romney had an accountant comeback. all of a sudden what you heard from the president today were sounded like all of the rebuttals that the campaign wished he had last night. in talking to the campaign, andrea, i can tell you that, you know, the excuse they're chalking this up to, the president, this is the first time he's gotten to size him up in person and they admit they're going to recalibrate the next time. one thing to point out, andrea, all of these folks that came to the rally, i talked to, i don't know, almost a dozen different people here, all supporters of the president, almost all of them universally expressed disappointment in the president's performance last night. >> and those same people there, waking up to the denver post today, round one romney, is the big headline here today. so, chuck, this could have a real impact on battleground colorado. >> well it could. that's what's going to be interesting, how mu

man on stage last night, he does not want to be held accountable for the real mitt romney's decisions and what he's been saying for the last year and that's because he knows full well that we don't want what he's been selling for the last year. >> yet even some veteran democrats didn't seem to be buying that explanation. >> i don't think the president took him very seriously and he should have and for a large part, the president just looked bored and wanted to get this darn thing over with. >> in the spin room last night, and on the morning talk show circuit today, the obama camp was pushing a much different narrative, claiming mitt romney only won through rehearsed lines and lies. >> he may win the oscar for his performance, but he's not going to win the presidency for his performance last night. >> something that i think clint eastwood would be proud of. but on substance, his positions were just as empty as the chair that mr. eastwood had on stage. >> obama voters at this rally in denver did not completely agree, telling us while they will still support the president, they

night, gretchen, when the president of the united states am mitt romney want to cut taxes for rich guys. mr. romney said mr. president, that is not the case. >> i know you and your running mate keep saying that and it is popular to say. but it is not the case. i have five boys and i am used to people saying something that is not always true and keep on repeating it and ultimately hoping i will believe it. that is not the case. i will not reduce the taxes paid by high income americans. >> gretchen: it was interesting how mitt romney was on the offensive and this is what republicans had critized him for in the past. take it to the president and get out there and be more aggressive in your answers and you say that side of mitt romney because the president would say something. and mitt romney would say no, that is not my plan. here it is. point number one and point two and three. the president also did this. but that was great to narrow it down in simplification of points one, two, and three. >> steve: he had a plan. >> the president also did it. but it was more compelling for mitt rom

. >>> tonight's the night, president obama, mitt romney will stand together on the same stage for the first time in this long campaign as they debate in denver. the question is, can either candidate move the meter with a big piece of the country tuning in or are we asking too much of a single debate? we'll find out tonight. >>> a battle of dualing videos from the vault. president obama in 2007 telling an audience of african-american ministers that the federal government didn't care as much about katrina victims than it does other disasters. and paul ryan declaring that 70% of the americans want the american dream. the others want the welfare state. the question is do either of these impact the way voter

, the running mates are carrying the load while obama and romney prepare for tomorrow night's debate. there is a tall hall at the clinton county courthouse where paul ryan will appear in burlington. ann romney will appear in colorado in a little while. vice-president biden will take the stage at an event surely in charlotte. it's the first of his two plans stops in north carolina today. michelle obama has a speaking appearance in cincinnati. early voting started in ohio this morning. more shots fired in maryland. protesters urging people to vote against question 7 on the november ballot. some of the protesters may have had an ulterior motive. brianne carter has the story from upper marlborough. >> with their signs and shirts, dozen people showed up outside the prince george's county administration building to protest maryland ballot question 7. it would greenlight the plan for a casino in prince george county. >> they want the money to be used for schools, they would never applied to the bills. >> there's an ad on craigslist that raises questions about whether participants came to op

mitt romney is tomorrow night. and the campaigns are doing whatever they can to get ready. actually i heard that the obama campaign is a little worried because during his flight to nevada on sunday the president apparently watched four hours of football instead of studying. although it did mark the first time all year obama's seen something get passed. very interesting. >> tonight jimmy welcomes funny man martin short, actor logan and a musical guest. that's at 12:35, 11:35 central time on your local nbc station. >>> tmz is reporting a trouble on the set of "american idol." we knew this was coming, right? >> is it set up, though? is it real. >> we shall see. new judge nikcki minaj threatend to knock out mariah carey over a disagreement on a contestant. she said she's not going to put up with her highness. we cleaned that up for tv. >>> the sing he's of the best-selling duet in pop music history, "you're the one that i want" will be reuniting. they have a holiday album coming out. proceeds go to charity. >>> liam neeson bared all on "ellen" tuesday. he stripped down to hot, hot pink un

that would vote for romney. i played the tape last night that someone recorded a young lady that actually said, we're working for romney and do you want to register as a republican? >> so, what we've asked mr mr. sproul to do, we want him to appear in washington on october 12th. we to want see all the documents that the rnc have signed and the contract he has with the rnc with regard to all these states. now, we believe that he has been operating in at least ten states, reverend. and this is some -- these are very, very serious allegations that carry some very serious criminal penalties. we want him to know that we want to get to the bottom of this. we're going to bring him to justice because nobody has the right, nobody has the right, to deny folk the right to vote. >> well, i'm sure that many of your colleagues that are republicans that were screaming when allegations were made against a.c.o.r.n. will be waiting to join you very vocally and vociferously on october 12th. >> we have to be calling on them to sit in the room and grill mr. sproul along with us. >> congressman cummin

of them. >> he insisted it was not the real obama or his policies that might-- the real romney or his politics that night. >> he did a superb acting job. >> the present pope a little fun at himself at an l.a. concert featuring stars like steve wonder. >> they just performed flawlessly night after night. i cannot always say the same. [laughter] >> now the pressure is on for the vice-presidential candidates to perform as they go head to head later this week. nd ryan based on thursday night in kentucky. and >> thank you. an amber alert issued in colorado. details on the missing child. a move on the massachusetts firm >> covering the nation, police in central colorado are looking for a break in the search for a missing 10-year-old girl. just a bridge way was reported missing after she failed to show up for school. -- jessica bridgeway. police could not discuss the contents of her bag, only that belong to the girl. firm isachusetts the link to the deadly meningitis outbreak is voluntarily recalling all of its products. at least 91 people have been affected in nine states. at least seve

romney hopes to make tomorrow night standing face to face with president obama. there has been mock debating today for mitt romney and stepped out if a quick snack and other than that it will be closed doors until the walk through tomorrow afternoon. >>trace: what about the 47 percent controversy. does governor romney have an answer do that? >>carl: he has been working through a series of answers on it. last night when he got to denver, he did an interview with the local fox affiliate. they asked him about it. here is one of the variations you would expect romney to use tomorrow night. >> they want to know, will i get jobs for the american people and get rising incomes? i'm a president for 100 percent of the american people. that is what the people care about. not 47 percent versus anyone, but president for 100 100 percef the people and i have demonstrated that throughout my life. >>carl: he will argue that president obama's record demonstrates an inability to get the committee going. trace? >>trace: thank you, carl. the presidential campaigns have been trying to lower expectations.

debate the other night. they staged a mock fight between mitt romney and big bird yesterday at a romney rally in florida. romney has said he will cut federal funding for public television, which airs "sesame street." >>> the candidates for vice president aren't the only ones preparing for their debate next week. danville, kentucky is getting ready to host the big event on thursday. the city of 15,000 will welcome some 50,000 visitors. those guests will spend millions of dollars. >> it really does enhance our community in many ways for our restaurants, our hotels, our retail stores. >> we couldn't buy the type of publicity at any price really that we'll get out of this event. >> a local business licensed to provide debate merchandise can barely keep up with demand. danville will spend $100,000 to stage the debate. city officials say after hosting the debate in 2000, they know that expense is well worth it. >>> early voting begins in california next week. if you want to get your vote in early, just head to your county election office in the next few days. but don't forget, monday is colum

the defensive all night. romney you wanted to his own successes as massachusetts governor but highlighted what he called the failed promises of the obama administration. >>> reporter: the first presidential debate started with a handshake and a romantic moment. >> 20 years ago, i became the luckiest man on earth because michelle obama agreed to marry me. >> congratulations to you, mr. president, on your anniversary. i'm sure this was the most romantic place you could imagine here with me. >> reporter: the theme of the debate for president obama appeared to be that romney's plans lacked specifics. >> is the reason that governor romney is keeping all these plans secret because it's too good? >> reporter: governor romney spent the night attacking his record. >> you have been president for four years. you said would you cut the deficit in half. it's now four years later. we still have trillion dollar deficits. >> reporter: mitt romney came into the debate trailing in the polls but that could change after last night's performance. >> anytime a challenger stands on the stage with th

unemployed in the big debate tomorrow night. mitt romney has a chance to reach out to the undecided voters. they are listening carefully. >>trace: mitt romney today making what appears for be a new pitch at spanish voters in the swing state of colorado. governor romney said that he would honor work visas that certain young illegal immigrants obligated through an executive order by president obama. you will recall that the governor has taken an aggressive stand on immigration in this campaign. in fact, he said he would actually veto legislation that provided a path to citizen to some immigrants. governor romney said and i quote, "the people who received the special visa the president has put if place which is a two-year vision 10 should expect the visa will continue to be valid. i will not take something they have purchased o now, live to carl cameron. is this a change, carl, or a change of emphasis for the governor? >>carl: change of emphasis. in colorado, latino are an influential voting block the he has been polling in the low 30's and even high 20 but most g.o.p. strategists says to be